Canadian Chow Standard

Origin and Purpose

The Chow Chow is an ancient breed of Northern Oriental origin. As a working breed in its area of origin, the Chow Chow was used to guard and hunt. Today, the Chow is primarily a family companion dog.

General Appearance

A cobby, powerful dog of medium size, active and alert, with strong, muscular development and perfect balance. Body squares with height of leg at shoulder; head is broad and flat, with short, broad, and deep muzzle, the whole supported by straight strong legs. Tail carried well over the back. Clothed in a off-standing smooth or rough double coat, in the rough variety the head is accentuated by a ruff; dogs to look masculine. Bitches to look feminine. When comparing the different sexes, allowance be made for bitches who may not have as much head and substance. The Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity, and untouched naturalness.

Temperament

Dignified, with keen intelligence, independent spirit, aloof and reserved with strangers. Aggressiveness or timidity is undesirable. Because of its deep-set eyes, the Chow has limited peripheral vision and is best approached from the front.

Size

Average size of bitches is 43 to 51 cm (17 to 20 inches) at the shoulder, of dogs, 46 to 53 cm (18 to 21 inches) at the shoulder. In every case, consideration of overall balance and type should take precedence over size.

Coat and Colour

Coat:-There are two types of coat, rough and smooth. Both are double coated.

Rough-the coat is abundant, dense, straight, and off standing; rather coarse in texture with a soft, thick, woolly undercoat. Coat and ruff generally longer in males, than in bitches. Tail well feathered. Texture and condition should be given greater emphasis than the length. There should be no obvious trimming or shaping except for the paws.

Smooth-should have a harsh, dense, smooth outer coat with a woolly undercoat, but the smooth’s outer coat is short and gives a sleek appearance. There should be no obvious ruff or feathering on legs and tail. The Smooth Chow Chow is judged by the same standard as the rough variety with the exception of coat length.

Colour

It may be any clear colour, solid throughout, with lighter shadings on ruff, tail, and breechings.

Head

The Head is large in proportion to the size of the dog. It is proudly carried, not over exaggerated as to make the dog seem top heavy, or to result in a low head carriage. Skull broad and flat: well filled under the eyes; moderate stop. Expression essentially dignified, lordly, scowling, discerning, sober, and snobbish-one of independence. Excessive loose skin is not desirable. Muzzle is short in comparison to length of skull but not less than 1/3 of head length. Broad from eyes to end of nose, and of equal depth. The lips somewhat full and overhanging, but not pendulous. Teeth strong and level, with a scissors bite; should neither be overshot, nor undershot. Nose large and broad. In blue or cream, black noses are preferred, but blues may have a slate coloured nose and creams may have a brown or liver coloured nose. In all other colours the nose must be black. Eyes dark, deep set of moderate size, and almond shaped, pupils should be visible. Ears small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, stiffly carried with a slight forward tilt, the inner corner of the ear to be in line with the outer corner of the eye. They should be placed wide apart, on top of the skull. This all contributes to the essential dignified lordly, discerning, scowling expression, one of independence. Tongue is blue-black; the tissues of the mouth should approximate black. A solid black mouth and gums are preferred.

Neck

Strong, full, set well on the shoulders nicely arched and of sufficient length to carry the head proudly, well above the top line when standing.

Forequarters

Shoulders muscular, slightly sloping, forelegs perfectly straight, with heavy bone and upright pasterns, placed well apart and parallel. Elbow joints set well back alongside the chest wall, elbows turning neither in or out. Feet round, catlike with thick pads, standing well up on the toes both front and rear. Dewclaws may be removed.

Body

Short, compact, close coupled, strongly muscled, broad and deep. Back short, straight, and strong. Chest broad, deep, (never narrow) and muscular, with well-sprung ribs, but not a barrel. A narrow chest is a serious fault. Loins broad, deep, and powerful, and well let down in the flank giving an overall appearance of squareness. The topline is straight, strong and level from the withers to the base of the tail.



Hindquarters

Hind legs straight-hocked, muscular, and heavy boned. Rear and front bone approximately equal. Stifle shows little angulation, hock joints well let down, must be strong, well knit, never bowing or breaking forward or to the side. Hock joint and metatarsals to be in a straight line below the hip joint. Feet same as forequarters.



Tail

Set well up and carried closely to the back, following the line of spine at the start.



Gait

Completely individual to the breed. Short and stilted because of a straight stifle and straight hocks. Sound, straight moving, agile, quick and powerful, never lumbering. It is from the side that the unique stilted action is most easily viewed and assessed. The rear leg moves up and forward from the hip in a straight, stilted pendulum like line, with a slight bounce in the rump, legs extend neither far forward nor backward. There should be no roll through the midsection. Viewed from the rear, the line of bone from the hip joint to pad remains straight as the dog moves. As speed increases, the hind legs incline slightly inward. Viewed from the front, the line of bone from shoulder joint to pad, remain straight as the dog moves. As speed increases, the forelegs may incline slightly inward but the front legs must not swing out in semi circles nor mince or show any evidence of hackney action. Somewhat lacking in speed, the Chow has excellent endurance.


Faults shall be penalized in proportion to their deviation from the standard. In judging the Chow, the overall picture is of primary consideration. Exaggeration of any characteristic at the expense of balance or soundness shall be severely penalized.

Disqualifications

Nose spotted or distinctly any other colour than black except in blue Chows, which may have solid blue or slate nose and in creams, which may have a brown or liver coloured nose.

Tongue red, pink or obviously spotted with red or pink.

Drop ear or ears. A drop ear is one which is stiffly carried or stiffly erect, but which breaks over at any point from its base to its tip or which lies parallel to the top of the skull.
 

American Chow Standard

General Appearance – Characteristics – An ancient breed of northern Chinese origin, this all-purpose dog of China was used for hunting, herding, pulling and protection of the home. While primarily a companion today, his working origin must always be remembered when assessing true Chow type. A powerful, sturdy, squarely built, upstanding dog of Arctic type, medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone. The body is compact, short coupled, broad and deep, the tail set high and carried closely to the back, the whole supported by four straight, strong, sound legs. Viewed from the side, the hind legs have little apparent angulation and the hock joint and metatarsals are directly beneath the hip joint. It is this structure which produces the characteristic shorter, stilted gait unique to the breed. The large head with broad, flat skull and short, broad and deep muzzle is proudly carried and accentuated by a ruff. Elegance and substance must be combined into a well balanced whole, never so massive as to outweigh his ability to be active, alert and agile. Clothed in a smooth or an offstanding rough double coat, the Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity and naturalness. Essential to true Chow type are his unique blue-black tongue, scowling expression and stilted gait.

Size, Proportions, Substance

Size--The average height of adult specimens is 17 to 20 inches at the withers but in every case consideration of overall proportions and type should take precedence over size. Proportions-- Square in profile and close coupled. Distance from forechest to point of buttocks equals height at the highest points of the withers. Serious Fault Profile other than square. Distance from tip of elbow to ground is half the height at the withers. Floor of chest level with tips of elbows. Width viewed from the front and rear is the same and must be broad. It is these proportions that are essential to true Chow type. In judging puppies, no allowance should be made for their failure to conform to these proportions.

Substance--Medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone. Equally objectionable are snipy, fine boned specimens and overdone, ponderous, cloddy specimens. In comparing specimens of different sex, due allowance must be made in favor of the bitches who may not have as much head or substance as do the males. There is an impression of femininity in bitches as compared to an impression of masculinity in dogs.
Head

Proudly carried, large in proportion to the size of the dog but never so exaggerated as to make the dog seem top-heavy or to result in a low carriage. Expression essentially scowling, dignified, lordly, discerning, sober and snobbish, one of independence. The scowl is achieved by a marked brow with a padded button of skin just above the inner, upper corner of each eye; by sufficient play of skin to form frowning brows and a distinct furrow between the eyes beginning at the base of the muzzle and extending up the forehead; by the correct eye shape and placement and by the correct ear shape, carriage and placement. Excessive loose skin is not desirable. Wrinkles on the muzzle do not contribute to expression and are not required.

Eyes dark brown, deep set and placed wide apart and obliquely, of moderate size, almond in shape. The correct placement and shape should create an Oriental appearance. The eye rims black with lids which neither turn in nor droop and the pupils of the eyes clearly visible. Serious Faults Entropion or ectropion, or pupils wholly or partially obscured by loose skin.

Ears small, moderately thick, triangular in shape with a slight rounding at the tip, carried stiffly erect but with a slight forward tilt. Placed wide apart with the inner corner on top of the skull. An ear which flops as the dog moves is very undesirable. Disqualifying Fault – Drop ear or ears. A drop ear is one which breaks at any point from its base to its tip or which is not carried stiffly erect but lies parallel to the top of the skull.

Skull The top skull is broad and flat from side to side and front to back. Coat and loose skin cannot substitute for the correct bone structure. Viewed in profile, the toplines of the muzzle and skull are approximately parallel, joined by a moderate stop. The padding of the brows may make the stop appear steeper than it is. The muzzle is short in comparison to the length of the top skull but never less than one-third of the head length. The muzzle is broad and well filled out under the eyes, its width and depth are equal and both dimensions should appear to be the same from its base to its tip. This square appearance is achieved by correct bone structure plus padding of the muzzle and full cushioned lips. The muzzle should never be so padded or cushioned as to make it appear other than square in shape. The upper lips completely cover the lower lips when the mouth is closed but should not be pendulous.

Nose large, broad and black in color with well opened nostrils. Disqualifying Fault – Nose spotted or distinctly other color than black, except in blue Chows which may have solid blue or slate noses.

Mouth and Tongue – Edges of the lips black, tissues of the mouth mostly black, gums preferably black. A solid black mouth is ideal. The top surface and edges of the tongue a solid blue-black, the darker the better. Disqualifying Fault – The top surface or edges of the tongue red or pink or with one or more spots of red or pink. Teeth strong and even with a scissors bite.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck strong, full, well muscled, nicely arched and of sufficient length to carry the head proudly above the topline when standing at attention. Topline straight, strong and level from the withers to the root of the tail.

Body short, compact, close coupled, strongly muscled, broad, deep and well let down in the flank. The body, back, coupling and croup must all be short to give the required square build. Chest broad, deep and muscular, never narrow or slab-sided. The ribs close together and well sprung, not barrel. The spring of the front ribs is somewhat narrowed at their lower ends to permit the shoulder and upper arm to fit smoothly against the chest wall. The floor of the chest is broad and deep extending down to the tips of the elbows. The point of sternum slightly in front of the shoulder points. Serious Faults Labored or abdominal breathing (not to include normal panting), narrow or slab-sided chest. Loin well muscled, strong, short, broad and deep. Croup short and broad with powerful rump and thigh muscles giving a level croup. Tail set high and carried closely to the back at all times, following the line of the spine at the start.

Forequarters
Shoulders strong, well muscled, the tips of the shoulder blades moderately close together; the spine of the shoulder forms an angle approximately 55 degrees with the horizontal and forms an angle with the upper arm approximately 110 degrees. Length of upper arm never less than length of shoulder blade. Elbow joints set well back alongside the chest wall, elbows turning neither in nor out. Forelegs perfectly straight from elbow to foot with heavy bone which must be in proportion to the rest of the dog. Viewed from the front, the forelegs are parallel and widely spaced commensurate with the broad chest. Pasterns short and upright. Wrists shall not knuckle over. The dewclaws may be removed. Feet round, compact, catlike, standing well upon the thick toe pads.

Hindquarters
The rear assembly broad, powerful, and well muscled in the hips and thighs, heavy in bone with rear and front bone approximately equal. Viewed from the rear, the legs are straight, parallel and widely spaced commensurate with the broad pelvis. Stifle Joint shows little angulation, is well knit and stable, points straight forward and the bones of the joint should be clean and sharp. Hock Joint well let down and appears almost straight. The hock joint must be strong, well knit and firm, never bowing or breaking forward or to either side. The hock joint and metatarsals lie in a straight line below the hip joint. Serious Faults Unsound stifle or hock joints. Metatarsals short and perpendicular to the ground. The dewclaws may be removed. Feet same as front.

Coat
There are two types of coat; rough and smooth. Both are double coated. Rough In the rough coat, the outer coat is abundant, dense, straight and offstanding, rather coarse in texture; the undercoat soft, thick and wooly. Puppy coat soft, thick and wooly overall. The coat forms a profuse ruff around the head and neck, framing the head. The coat and ruff generally longer in dogs than in bitches. Tail well feathered. The coat length varies markedly on different Chows and thickness, texture and condition should be given greater emphasis than length. Obvious trimming or shaping is undesirable. Trimming of the whiskers, feet and metatarsals optional. Smooth The smooth coated Chow is judged by the same standard as the rough coated Chow except that references to the quantity and distribution of the outer coat are not applicable to the smooth coated Chow, which has a hard, dense, smooth outer coat with a definite undercoat. There should be no obvious ruff or feathering on the legs or tail.

Color
Clear colored, solid or solid with lighter shadings in the ruff, tail and featherings. There are five colors in the Chow: red (light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream. Acceptable colors to be judged on an equal basis.

Gait
Proper movement is the crucial test of proper conformation and soundness. It must be sound, straight moving, agile, brief, quick, and powerful, never lumbering. The rear gait shorter and stilted because of the straighter rear assembly. It is from the side that the unique stilted action is most easily assessed. The rear leg moves up and forward from the hip in a straight, stilted pendulum-like line with a slight bounce in the rump, the legs extend neither far forward nor far backward. The hind foot has a strong thrust which transfers power to the body in an almost straight line due to the minimal rear leg angulation. To transmit this power efficiently to the front assembly, the coupling must be short and there should be no roll through the midsection. Viewed from the rear, the line of bone from hip joint to pad remains straight as the dog moves. As the speed increases the hind legs incline slightly inward. The stifle joints must point in the line of travel, not outward resulting in a bowlegged appearance nor hitching in under the dog. Viewed from the front, the line of bone from shoulder joint to pad remains straight as the dog moves. As the speed increases, the forelegs do not move in exact parallel planes, rather, incline slightly inward. The front legs must not swing out in semicircles nor mince or show any evidence of hackney action. The front and rear assemblies must be in dynamic equilibrium. Somewhat lacking in speed, the Chow has excellent endurance because the sound, straight rear leg provides direct, usable power efficiently.

Temperament
Keen intelligence, an independent spirit and innate dignity give the Chow an aura of aloofness. It is a Chow’s nature to be reserved and discerning with strangers. Displays of aggression or timidity are unacceptable. Because of its deep set eyes the Chow has limited peripheral vision and is best approached from the front.

Summary
Faults shall be penalized in proportion to their deviation from the standard. In judging the Chow, the overall picture is of primary consideration. Exaggeration of any characteristic at the expense of balance or soundness shall be severely penalized.

Type should include general appearance, temperament, the harmony of all parts, and soundness especially as seen when the dog is in motion. There should be proper emphasis on movement which is the final test of the Chow's conformation, balance and soundness.

Disqualifications
Drop ear or ears. A drop ear is one which breaks at any point from its base to its tip or which is not carried stiffly erect but lies parallel to the top of the skull.
Nose spotted or distinctly other color than black, except in blue Chows which may have solid blue or slate noses.
The top surface or edges of the tongue red or pink or with one or more spots of red or pink.
 

Here we start with a correct short straight hock.



Below ... a long hock, prone to knuckling over





Below - Left toeing in, Right - too narrow



Below both cow hocked and toeing out.
(Thank you for your photo submission)



Knuckling over is a horrible sight. Too often found on long hocked chows you can see from the actual and edited images below that we need to eliminate it from the breed!




Below - edited to show knuckling over,
Right - flat footed, walking on the weak hock.





The above dog shows how a bad hock can affect movement!
The dog also has a very high rear and low tail.

The chow has a tightly carried high set tail.
The tail should not bounce off the back during proper movement. It should be carried well above the back towards the head, not curled, corkscrew or flagging.

Below are two very low tail sets.



Below is Reiku's unedited tail set natural without shaving or sculpting. It is flat to the back, high set and straight.



Below are incorrect tail sets, loose tail sets below those, off the back while moving and not held close to the back! We are seeing far too many low tail sets on high rear chows, shaved to give the appearance of a shorter back/better tail carriage!




 

MOVEMENT

Chows are not sporting dogs of tremendous reach and drive.

"......Completely individual to the breed. Short and stilted because of a straight stifle and straight hocks. Sound, straight moving, agile, quick and powerful, never lumbering. It is from the side that the unique stilted action is most easily viewed and assessed. The rear leg moves up and forward from the hip in a straight, stilted pendulum like line, with a slight bounce in the rump, legs extend neither far forward nor backward. There should be no roll through the midsection. Viewed from the rear, the line of bone from the hip joint to pad remains straight as the dog moves. As speed increases, the hind legs incline slightly inward. Viewed from the front, the line of bone from shoulder joint to pad, remain straight as the dog moves. As speed increases, the forelegs may incline slightly inward but the front legs must not swing out in semi circles nor mince or show any evidence of hackney action. Somewhat lacking in speed, the Chow has excellent endurance......."

 Chows are run in the ring to camouflage bad movement. Correct stilt needs to be seen at a slow and steady pace. Thank you to all those judges who express displeasure at the fast moving chow. The body is not built correctly for that speed and legs, midsections and so on start flailing out of place to keep up hoping to confuse the judge's eye!

Below are pictures of Reiku
Thank you Michael Graat and Kate Murray!
As you can see no bend in the legs, the stilted rear movement, tail carried tightly to the back, legs extending straight, neither far forward, or backwards.





Rear movement, perfectly straight, toes neither pointing inwards or outwards, clearance between the hocks and legs, slightly inclines as speed increases.



Even as a puppy movement should be seen.
Reiku was 3 months old in these puppy match photos.








 

AM BISS AOM, CAN BISS MBPIG,
AM/CAN CH Cejams Kiki Jiki At Winc CGC

MULTI BISS WINNER, BOSS NATIONAL WINNNER
MULTI GROUP WINNER, AOM WINNER
#1 CHOW 2008, TOP 10 NON-SPORTING

I decided to use a my own boy as an example for a more visual aide to help judges unfamiliar with our standard, and some of the comment issues that plague our breed. Owner handled, Reiku and I have done remarkably well in the show ring under heavy competition in the US and in Canada, so I don't mind using him as a "in the middle of the road" example for the breed in both countries.
The chow is a "MEDIUM SIZED" specimen
WE'RE SEEING TOO MANY PIGMY OR GIANT CHOWS!

In these photos he is a year and a half old.
In the below AM BISS photo he is two years of age.



I have overlaid the images from our standard onto Reiku as an adult and a puppy to show he is very close he is to it.
Even as a 3 month old puppy he showed very close conformation to the chow breed standard.




Above - 1 year of age
Below 3-4 months of age




Being a graphic designer, I am able to create and edit images, and have done so with my own dog (to extremes) below to assist in a visual aide. I am using the standard's SMOOTH CHOW outline to show how coat, grooming and conformation varies.



Above ... long - off square.



No neck, excessive mane can give the illusion
of no neck, be sure to get a hands on feel.



Low on leg and long



Off balance, too much leg.



Too much neck. While some may see elegance,
it throws the chow out of balance.

Both images below are too long.
(Thank you for your photo submissions)

Below is a headshot of Reiku - unedited, drool and all.
I have used my editing programs to distort the poor boy
to show extreme examples of what is incorrect.

The eyes should be far apart, dark, almond, deep set
inside ear corner meeting outside eye corner.
Filled in under the eyes, tight lips, not pendulous.
Clean clear, dry eyes.



Below Correct forward tilting upright strong ears.




Below Low earsets





Below I pinched held, and folded Reiku's ears down
(how patient he is) to show below ...
Low broken ears



Below Broken tip



Below Broken tip




Below downed ear.



Below - Earset too high



Below - too high
(I'm pinching his ears up ignore my fingers)



Below - drop / broken ear



Below very low floppy ears



Below are more very low or broken ear sets
(Thank you for your photo submissions)

Again, we start with a good image of Reiku - unedited



Below - droopy eyelids





Below - edited to show eyes too close together



Below - edited to show incorrect light coloured eyes



Below - edited to show incorrect round eyes



The sight of a wet eyes chow break anyone's heart
It's the sign of ectropion/entropion and a great
source of discomfort to the chow. We are seeing FAR too many wet eyed chows in our breed!




Below incorrect pigmentation of the gums, nose and tongue.
Hopefully you never see a chow such as this, but
the chow is losing our stilt and our pigment and if we lose that, we lose what makes the breed unique.




 

Below I will show examples of incorrect structure.
The chow has wonderful tight cat paws as seen below!
They are up on their toes which are held tightly together.



Below I distorted the images to show splayed
flat incorrect feet



Below are low, floppy feet and weak/soft pasterns a very common problem in our breed.

Again we start with the correct foot and structure



Below too narrow, and on the right, too wide.
We find these bulldog fronted chows becoming quite popular. Most of them have very narrow weak rears, and movement is a mixture of wrist snapping and paddling. The chow that is too wide is often very pigeon toed. Please keep in mind these are examples and some are submitted photographs. Reiku was stretched, bent and held in many positions to help give visual aide.





A bow legged or too wide chow cannot move properly!

Since the chow has a profuse mane
it only accentuates a narrow front.



Below bowlegged and pigeon toed,
resulting in bad movement.





Below - horrible toeing out in front and in the rear.
(thank you for the photo submission)




 

Chows are being sculpted to the point where they are showing a tuck up. Chows do not have a tuck up. The overabundance of sculpting and shaving chows to give them what nature has chosen not to, should be banned from our rings.



Below show (with some holding) incorrect tuck ups.



Below Long in body, and a very incorrect tuck up
(Thank you for your photo submission)





Hocks far too long, toeing in, incorrect tuck up.


 

TOPLINES - COMING SOON!

Chows are becoming horrible in the topline region. Our short strong square bodies are being taken over by pendulous mid sections, high rears and sagging toplines.



Below these high reared toplines are easily seen because the dogs are lacking in coat. However a hands on feel of the chow will let you know if that coat is hiding a serious flaw.